A troubling complaint has landed on the desks of Kenya's key oversight bodies, pointing to serious violations of public service regulations in the recruitment of a senior legal officer at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The detailed report, addressed to the Chairman of the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), the Chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, and the Principal Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of Environment Festus Ng’eno, says the recruitment process was manipulated to favour an underqualified candidate with a direct connection to a NEMA board member.
For years, the authority has operated without a substantive Corporation Secretary, relying on lawyers in an acting capacity, a situation that prompted the advertising of the position (Grade E2) on June 30, 2026, through a MyGov newspaper notice with specific requirements accessible online.
NEMA is governed by a Board of Management chaired by Emilio Mugo, while Dr. Mamo B. Mamo serves as Director General, with Dr. Lilian Apadet serving as chairperson of the Board's Human Resources Committee.
From a pool of twelve applicants, the human resource unit identified only four candidates who met the mandatory qualifications.
Against the HR recommendation, the board decided to invite all twelve applicants for interviews.
The decision was made to accommodate a candidate, Ms. Jessica Karimi Mbai, who was known to have a prior working relationship with a NEMA board member, Dr. Lilian Apadet. Dr. Apadet, who chairs the Board's Human Resources Committee, previously served as a Director at the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), the same institution where Ms. Mbai has served as Corporation Secretary and Director of Legal Services for the past three years.
According to the complaint, Ms. Mbai did not meet the minimum qualifications for the position, lacking the mandatory fifteen years of work experience and the five years of managerial experience specified in the job advertisement.
Her admission to the Bar in August 2012 means she has approximately fourteen years of professional experience at the time of the application.
The whistleblower further points to several provisions of the Public Service Commission (Affirmative Action) Regulations that were breached during the recruitment process.
Under the regulations, all shortlisted candidates must meet the minimum advertised requirements for a position, a shortlisting report must be submitted to the Public Service Commission within seven days of completion, and no interviews can commence without the Commission's written approval of the shortlist.
Regulation 14(2) also bars any person involved in the shortlisting process from serving on the interview panel for the same position.
The complaint also cites the involvement of NEMA Director General Dr. Mamo B. Mamo in relation to this requirement, with the whistleblower pointing to the shortlist recommendation sign off and the interview attendance sheet.
The complaint further questions whether Dr. Apadet declared a conflict of interest during the interviews, given her previous role at the KMA and her connection to Ms. Mbai.
The interviews were scheduled for August 27, 2026, and all twelve applicants were interviewed, with some board members opposing the decision and declining to attend.
Below is the communication submitted to this publication by the whistle-blower under a request for anonymity, with the same complaint and its accompanying documentary evidence also addressed to the Chairman of CAJ, the Chairman of EACC, the Head of Public Service and the Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Environment for consideration and appropriate action.
